The present invention relates to a feeding system. More particularly, this invention concerns a feeding apparatus as well as a method of feeding particulate material and a support lining for a feeding apparatus.
It is known to support a fluid particulate material in a vessel on a gas-pervious floor. Gas is forced upwardly through this floor so as to loosen the particulate material and even dry it. This upwardly flowing gas increases the fluidity of the particulate material and makes it easier to withdraw the material from the vessel. Such arrangements are used in feed hoppers and chemical plants, in silos, and in other arrangements wherein the particulate material is not sufficiently fluent to flow all by itself, particularly where the particulate material is sticky or tends to pack or arch.
The floor of such devices is, therefore, usually made of a rigid foraminous sintered metal plate or synthetic-resin body formed with perforations. With such rigid support elements it is possible to achieve very even resistance to throughflow of gas so that the process can easily be controlled.
The idea of using a flexible support sheet has been suggested. This, however, has been found to be inadequate due to the uncontrollable resistance to throughflow of gas of flexible support sheets, formed, for instance, of a felted textile or the like. Since the resistance to throughflow of gas is very low it would be necessary to provide an enormous blower in order adequately to physically displace the sheet on which lies a bed of particulate material that must be loosened. Thus the first cost and running costs of such an installation are very large.
In order to limit the resistance to gas throughflow in such flexible sheets it is necessary to increase their thickness considerably. This has the concomitant effect of increasing the rigidity of the sheet and making it more difficult to deflect it and thereby loosen the material on it.